Political Voices

By: Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig

Iowa’s economy is built on agriculture. What happens at the farm gate ripples through our entire state. When farmers are doing well, Main Street businesses thrive, equipment dealers stay busy, manufacturers expand production, and rural communities remain strong. When agriculture struggles, the effects are felt everywhere.

That’s why helping farmers succeed is not just an agricultural issue, it’s an Iowa issue. Every Iowan benefits from a strong agriculture.

Our hardworking farmers and naturally rich soil make Iowa an agricultural powerhouse. Iowa ranks first in the nation in corn, pork, eggs, and biofuels production. We are second in soybeans and consistently rank in the top ten for beef, turkey, and dairy. Only California exceeds Iowa in agricultural sales, making us the second-largest ag-producing state in the country.

Agriculture contributes nearly $160 billion annually to Iowa’s economy and supports roughly one in every five jobs. Those numbers tell an important story: when agriculture is strong, Iowa is strong.

That’s why Iowa must continue to embrace common sense agricultural, business and tax policies that support growth and reward hard work and innovation, while protecting our natural resources.

First and foremost, we must increase demand for the agricultural products Iowa farmers grow and raise. That starts at home. Expanding domestic use should be a top priority, because American consumers benefit from a food supply that is safe, reliable, and affordable — and Iowa farmers deliver all three. At the same time, we must continue pressing for stronger, more balanced trade agreements. Iowa has a proven track record of working with farmers and industry leaders through trade missions and direct engagement with global partners to open doors for Iowa-grown corn, soybeans, pork, beef, and biofuels. For Iowa, trade isn’t abstract — it often makes the difference between a profitable year and a tough one for farm families.

Second, we should continue investing in programs that keep dollars circulating in local communities. The Choose Iowa initiative does exactly that by connecting consumers with Iowa-grown, Iowa-made, and Iowa-raised food and ag products. When people buy local, they support small businesses, strengthen rural economies, and help family farms capture more value from the products they produce. Choose Iowa is about more than branding — it’s about giving farmers and entrepreneurs the tools to grow, diversify, and succeed.

Just as important, Choose Iowa supports farms of all sizes and production methods. Iowa agriculture is diverse, and success doesn’t look the same for everyone. Some farms want to grow and scale up; others want to remain smaller operations that serve local markets. Our job is not to pick winners and losers, but to ensure farmers have the freedom and opportunity to choose the path that works best for their family.

Third, we must continue to invest in and accelerate farmer-led conservation work that improves water quality and soil health. Iowa farmers care deeply about the land, and they are leading the way by adopting conservation practices like wetlands, cover crops, and reduced tillage. The state’s role should be to partner with farmers, not punish them, by providing cost-share support, technical assistance, and science-based practices that deliver results. Conservation and productivity are not competing goals; when done right, they go hand in hand and help ensure Iowa agriculture remains sustainable for future generations.

Finally, Iowa must maintain a tax and regulatory climate that allows farmers to plan for the future. Republicans have worked to eliminate the death tax so farm families can pass their operations on to the next generation without being forced to sell land or assets just to pay the tax bill. That matters deeply in a state where more than 21,000 Century (100 years) and 2,000 Heritage (150 years) Farms have been in families for generations.

We also need to recognize a hard truth: excessive regulation and higher taxes often accelerate consolidation in agriculture. When compliance costs rise, it’s the smallest farms that feel the impact first. If we want to preserve family farms and rural communities and keep costs at the grocery store and gas pump affordable for working families, we must be thoughtful about the policies we impose and the burdens we create.

Iowa agriculture has always been resilient. Our farmers adapt, innovate, and lead — but they shouldn’t have to do it alone. By growing markets, strengthening local economies, accelerating conservation, and maintaining a commonsense tax and regulatory environment, we can ensure Iowa’s ag economy remains strong today and for generations to come. Because when agriculture is strong, Iowa is strong.

Iowa’s Farm Income Projected to Plummet in 2026, Ag-Related Layoffs Expected to Continue. Who is Here to Help?

By: Rita Hart, Chair of the Iowa Democratic Party

Nick Larson and a quarter of Iowa farmers get their health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. When ACA provisions expired at the end of 2025, Larson’s family faced an immediate tax increase of $3,000 per year.

Skyrocketing health care prices are only one challenge Iowa farmers are currently facing. 

An ag downturn hit Iowa family farms hard in 2025. Iowa recorded the second-most farm bankruptcies in the nation during the first six months of 2025.

Predictions show things may only get worse this year.

Iowa’s farm income is projected to plummet by 24 percent in 2026.

Simply put, that means there will be more layoffs in ag-related manufacturing this year and an already three-year downturn for corn and soybeans will continue.

In 2025, Ag-related manufacturers like John Deere, Bridgestone, Kinze Manufacturing and even Tyson Foods were hit hard, collectively laying off thousands of Iowa workers. 

Iowa is an ag-dependent state. Iowa’s family farms are the backbone of our state and when our agriculture industry – which accounts for nearly a quarter of Iowa’s economic output – struggles, we all struggle. 

So what to do?

What we shouldn’t do is make things worse.

Between skyrocketing health insurance costs, declining farm income, uncertainty brought on by Donald Trump’s trade wars, and House Republicans’ inability to pass a farm bill, farmers have been left to figure things out on their own. 

Lawmakers at the statehouse do have some power to help Iowa’s farmers. Fully funding farmer programs could provide more tax credits to landowners leasing to new farmers and more low-interest loans for land, equipment, and livestock purchases.

Loan participation programs can help farmers secure down payments for significant farm assets.

Leaders can be working to improve domestic and foreign markets for Iowa products, rather than making it harder for our farmers to sell their goods. These efforts work better when they are bipartisan which means our leaders have to recognize that good ideas come from both sides of the aisle, and that it’s important to farmers and to the state of Iowa that we work together to get things done.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig proposed a new Farm Act recently, which calls for more money to maintain essential operations in animal health, food safety, consumer protection, and water quality initiatives as part of the Department’s FY27 proposal. Those initiatives are practical solutions and much-needed. 

However, Iowa Republicans may have a challenging time coming up with practical solutions to help because they are facing a $1 billion revenue shortfall this year. Poor budgeting decisions result in fewer opportunities to make a difference for farmers who are struggling to survive when the cards are stacked against them with high costs, challenging weather, compromised markets, low commodity prices, and yes, impossibly expensive health care premiums. After all, farmers have to take care of their families, too.

While Republicans struggle this legislative session to come up with enough money to help – one thing is certain. We shouldn’t be making it harder for farmers like Larson to stay in business. 

Larson has tried to reach out to his Representative, Ashley Hinson, about his skyrocketing health care rates, but he hasn’t received much of a response.

Larson deserves a response. He needs a partner with the government and good agricultural policy to help him succeed and mostly not hold him back. Like any typical Iowa farmer he knows how to roll up his sleeves and go to work. Iowa is blessed with good soil, and Iowa farmers are famous for their practical know-how, strong backs, and good old American ingenuity. We cannot afford to leave Iowa farmers behind.